She was told by a dietician that she would never weigh less than 14 stone because her metabolic rate would “be stuck” due to an underactive thyroid.

But after joining her local Weight Watchers group a month later, she turned her life around and dropped 22 dress sizes.

Jill, who now weighs 10 stone, is set to tackle York’s 10k run this weekend following her dramatic body change.

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Jill Whitham before and after her drastic weight loss

The 36-year-old from Heworth, North Yorkshire, said: “I just came to the realisation that something had to be done. I knew I was overweight - but I don’t think I realised by how much.

“The penny suddenly dropped and I think it must have had something to do with marrying my husband and thinking about our future together.

She added: “I realised we were both killing ourselves.”

Before she lost weight, Jill was skipping breakfast and regularly bingeing on chocolate, crisps, crumpets, cheese and chips.

Now she has a breakfast of porridge and fruit, and prefers salads and jacket potatoes.

Her husband Jack, who weighed more than 18 stone in 2012, managed to also whittle down to a healthy 13 stone.

Jill, who is a receptionist for Clifton Children’s Centre, now leads her very own Weight Watchers classes to share her weight loss tactics.

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Jill prior to losing weight

Speaking about her transformation she said: “Within the past four years I have married my soul mate Jack, then went on to lose more than he actually weighs with the support of Weight Watchers.

“I spent the majority of my adult life at least partially overweight, but gave up hope of losing it when diagnosed with an underactive thyroid - especially after a dietician told me I would never weigh under 14 stone because my metabolic rate would be stuck.

“However now I am living, breathing proof that anyone can change their life.

“I no longer complain about vegetables on my plate, squeezing the room away for other ‘more delicious’ foods.”

She added: “My life now is unrecognisable compared to my old life, I am training for a marathon, I have more energy than the sun.”